Electric-circuit selectors



Feb. 23, 1965 s. T. DEAKIN 3,170,745

ELECTRIC-CIRCUIT smzc-roxs Filed Dec. 5, 1962 United States Patent 3,170,745 ELECTRIC-CIRCUIT SELECTORS Stanley Thomas Deakin, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, assignor to Sealectro Corporation, Mamaroneck, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 242,480 Claims priority, application G/rzlat Britain, Dec. 6, 1961,

I 7 Claims. (Cl. 339-18) The invention relates to electric-circuit selectors of the kind having at least two sets of socket contacts arranged in substantially parallel rows on support plates or panels, the rows of one set of contacts overlying and crossing the rows of the other set with the sockets of the two sets aligned in pairs one over the other at the positions of intersection of the rows and at least one of the sockets of each pair being formed as a throughway whereby selected socket contacts of one set may be electrically connected with the socket contacts of the other set which are aligned therewith, by the insertion of connecting pins through the socket contacts having throughways into the socket contacts aligned therewith.

Some constructions of circuit selectors of the above kind are described in US. Patent No. 2,922,135. In these selectors the contacts are attached to support plates of insulating material. It is however sometimes desirable that a support plate of metal or other conductive material is used, the contacts being insulated therefrom, and an object of the present invention is to provide a simple and practical way of meeting this desideratum.

The present invention provides an electric circuit selector having:

(a) Substantially flat upper and lower panels, each with a plurality of rows of holes therethrough, the rows of one panel crossing the rows of the other panel with the holes in the upper panel overlying the holes in the lower panel,

(b) Means for maintaining the panels in fixed, spaced apart, relation,

(c) At least one of said panels being of electrically conducting material and having strips of electrically insulating material overlying the rows of holes on both faces of the panel, the strips having upstanding bushes entering into and lining the holes in the panel,

(d) A set of contact strips extending along the rows of holes of each of the panels, respectively, each strip being of channel shape with. a continuous base and with side walls divided into a plurality of pairs of opposed contact jaws, each pair providing with the channel base a socket contact of generally U-shape which is connected to an adjacent contact by the base of the channel, and said jaws being resiliently resistant to separating movement,

(2) Portions struck out from each of'said strips providing openings in the base section of the contacts, said portions for at least some of the contacts of each strip being bent to form L-shaped tags projecting from the face of the channel base opposite to the jaws and each comprising a vertical limb attached to the base at one end and a horizontal limb projecting from theother end of the vertical limb substantially parallel to the base,

(f) The horizontal limbs of each strip all projecting in the same direction from the vertical limbs,

(g) The vertical limbs, in the case of said one panel, passing through holes in said bushes and insulating stri s each adjacent one side of the holes, which holes are sufficiently large for the passage therethrough of the horizontal limbs, and register with the openings in the base,

(h) The channel base engaging one of the insulating 7 strips and the horizontal limbs engaging the other in- 3,170,145 Patented Feb. 23, 1965 half the circumference of each bush may be upstanding from one strip and half from the other, with the ad vantage that the two strips may be of like form.

It is further preferred that the attachment means comprise hook-shaped tongues (eg as shown in FIGURES 2 through 4 of Patent No. 3,027,534) on the base of the channel section of the row of contacts, that the hooks pass through the insulating bushes and that the sandwich comprising the two strips with the conductive plate between them, is held between the hooks and the base of the channel section.

Some specific examples of circuit selectors according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the selector, partly broken away,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view, from the underside, of the part of the lower set of contacts of FIGURE 1, the support plate and insulating strips partly assembled, and

FIGURE 3 is a section showing an alternative form of selector.

The drawings show the present invention embodied in the selector shown in FIGURES 1-5 of Patent No. 3,027,534.

The construction comprises a metal support plate 1 having rows of round holes 2. On each face of the plate there is a strip 3 moulded of a suitable plastic (e.g. high density polythene), the strip lying along one of the rows of holes. The two strips are of like form and each has a row of square holes 5 with a semi-circular boss 6 at one side. These bosses enter into the holes 2 and together constitute insulating bushes lining the holes, the bushes being square internally.

The contact strip is of the channel form shown in Patent No. 3,027,534 and has tongues or hooks 15 which pass through the holes in the bushes and hold the strips 3 and the intervening plate 1 between the hook arms and the base of the channel. Means to hold the contact strip from reverse longitudinal movement is disclosed in FIGS. 2 and 3 and described in column 3 lines 4.

through 22 of Patent No. 3,027,534.

FIGURE 3 showsa modified construction in which the holes 2 in the plate 1 are lined with individual bushes 8 each of unitary construction and formed of polythene.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the above examples. For instance the insulating strips shown in FIGURES l and 2 may be replaced bysheets or wider strips covering several rows of holes. The bushes may be formed wholly on one strip and enter into holes in the other.

I claim:

1. An electric circuit selector having:

(a) substantially flat upper and lower panels, each with a plurality of rows of holes therethrough, the rows of one panel crossing the rows of the other panel with the holes in the upper panel overlying the holes in the lower panel,

(b) means for maintaining the panels in fixed, spaced apart, relation,

(c) at least one of said panels being of electrically conducting material and having strips of electrically insulating material overlying the rows of holes on both faces of the panel, the strips having upstanding bushes entering into and lining the holes in the panel,

(d) a set of contact strips extending along the rows of holes of each of the panels, respectively, each strip being of channel shape with a continuous base and with side walls divided into a plurality of pairs of opposed contact jaws, each pair providing with the channel base a socket contact of generally U-shape which is connected to an adjacent contact by the base of the channel, and said jaws being resiliently resistant to separating movement,

(2) portions struck out from each of said strips pro viding openings in the base section of the contacts, said portions for at least some of the contacts of each strip being bent to form L-shaped tags projecting from the face of the channel base opposite to the jaws and each comprising a vertical limb attached to the base at one end and a horizontal limb projecting from the other end of the vertical limb substantially parallel to the base,

(f) the horizontal limbs of each strip all projecting in the same direction from the vertical limbs,

g) the vertical limbs, in the case of said one panel, passing through holes in said bushes and insulating strips each adjacent one side of the holes, which holes are sufficiently large for the passage therethrough of the horizontal limbs, and register with the openings in the base,

(11) the channel base engaging one of the insulating strips and the horizontal limbs engaging the other insulating strip after the vertical limbs have been inserted through the holes in the bushes and the channel has been moved longitudinally of the panel in the direction in which the'limbs point, to eifect such engagement and hold the contact and insulating strips to the panel, and

(i) means for retaining the contact strips and the horizontal limbs carried thereby against reverse longitudinal movement.

2. A circuit selector as claimed in claim 1 in which the bushes are formed in part on one insulating strip and in part on the other.

3. A circuit selector as claimed in claim 2 in which half the circumference of each bush is formed on one insulating strip and the other half is formed on the other insulating strip.

4. A circuit selector as claimed in claim 3 in which the two insulating strips are of the same shape and size.

5. A circuit selector as claimed in claim 1 in which the holes in the bushes and insulating strips are square.

6. An electric circuit selector having:

(a) substantially fiat upper and lower panels, each with a plurality of rows of holes therethrough, the rows of one panel crossing the rows of the other panel with the holes in the upper panel overlying the holes in the lower panel,

(b) means for maintaining the panels in fired, spaced apart, relation,

(c) at least one of said panels being of electrically conducting material,

(d) individual bushes of electrically insulating material lining the holes in said panel of electrically conducting material, said insulating material extending over the faces of the panel around the holes therein,

(e) a set of contact strips extending along the rows of holes or each of the panels, respectively, each strip being of channel shape with a continuous base and with side walls divided into a plurality of pairs of opposed contact jaws, each pair providing with the channel base a socket contact of generally U-shape which is connected to an adjacent contact by the base of the channel, and said jaws being resiliently resistant to separating movement,

(1) portions struck out from each of said strips providing openings in the base section of the contacts, said portions for at least some of the contacts of each strip being bent to form L-shaped tags projecting from the face of the channel base opposite to the jaws and each comprising a vertical limb attached to the base at one. end and a horizontal limb projecting from the other end of the vertical limb substantially parallel to the base,

(g) the horizontal limbs of'each strip all projecting in the same direction from the vertical limbs,

'(h) the vertical limbs, in the case of said one panel, passing through holes in said bushes each adjacent one side of the holes, which holes are sufficiently large for the passage therethrough of the horizontal limbs, and register with the openings in the base,

(i) The channel base engaging one end of the bushes and the horizontal limbs engaging the other end of the bushes after the vertical limbs have been inserted through the holes in the bushes and the chan- 'nel has been moved longitudinally of the panel in the direction in which the limbs point, to eifect such engagement and hold the contact to the panel, and

(j) means for retaining the contact strips and the horizontal limbs carried thereby against reverse longitudinal movement.

7. A panel and contact unit for use in an electric circuit selector comprising a panel of electrically conducting material with rows of holes therethrough, a separately constructed layer of electrically insulating material on each face of the panel with holes registering with the holes in thepanel and upstanding from at least one insulating layer lining bushes for the'holes in the panel and electric contact strips extending along the rows of holes, said contact strips having upstandingcontact portions and holding means passing through the holes in the insulating layers and the lining bushes and engaging the outer faces of the insulating layers to hold them and the interleaved panel together.

No references cited. 

7. A PANEL AND CONTACT UNIT FOR USE IN AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT SELECTOR COMPRISING A PANEL OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING MATERIAL WITH ROWS OF HOLES THERETHROUGH, A SEPARATELY CONSTRUCTED LAYER OF ELECTRICALLY INSULATING MATERIAL ON EACH FACE OF THE PANEL WITH HOLES REGISTERING WITH THE HOLES IN THE PANEL AND UPSTANDING FROM AT LEAST ONE INSULATING LAYER LINING BUSHES FOR THE HOLES IN THE PANEL AND ELECTRIC CONTACT STRIPS EXTENDING ALONG THE ROWS OF HOLES, SAID CONTACT STRIPS HAVING UPSTANDING CONTACT PORTIONS AND HOLDING MEANS PASSING THROUGH THE HOLES IN THE INSULATING LAYERS AND THE LINING BUSHES AND ENGAGING THE OUTER FACES OF THE INSULATING LAYERS TO HOLD THEM AND THE INTERLEAVED PANEL TOGETHER. 